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ID #SA1176972
FOR SALE
£1,100
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Early Derby Biscuit Figure Group ‘Three Graces Distressing Cupid’, C.1775–1785 — Rare
Gillers Antiques Ltd
for sale €1,287     $1,397
£1,100
Gillers Antiques Ltd

Gillers Antiques Ltd

Sellingantiques Verified Since Mar 2023
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Early Derby Biscuit Figure Group ‘Three Graces Distressing Cupid’, C.1775–1785 — Rare

18th century
Description

A large and sculpturally ambitious Derby biscuit (unglazed soft-paste porcelain) figure group after William Wynne Ryland’s 1777 engraving Etiam Amor criminibus plectitur after Angelica Kauffmann: the Three Graces binding Cupid to a tree. Derby’s modellers translated Kauffmann’s Neoclassical design into three dimensions with remarkable elegance — a tall bocage tree, seated and standing Graces with bow and quiver at the base, and Cupid bound to the trunk.

The unglazed biscuit surface retains every modelling detail, from tool marks and drapery folds to floral sprays, epitomising the refinement prized by late-18th-century connoisseurs for table and dessert display. Closely related examples reside in the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Fitzwilliam Museum.

Historical Context

Founded in the 1750s by William Duesbury, Derby absorbed Chelsea and Bow and reached its artistic zenith in the 1770s–80s. Biscuit figures, marketed as “particularly suited for the Embellishment of Desserts,” represented the highest level of technical and sculptural ambition.

Rarity

This rare model is more often encountered in museum collections than private hands — a true late-Georgian showpiece.

Condition

One Grace missing from the rear (frontal composition remains visually coherent); partial loss to bow; scattered leaf and flower losses; 18th-century firing stress lines typical of soft-paste porcelain; radial kiln line beneath base. UV inspection confirms no through-cracks or later repairs. Stable and display-ready.

Measurements

• Height: 40 cm / 15.7?

• Width: 20 cm / 7.9?

• Depth: 20 cm / 7.9?

• Weight: 2.97 kg

Shipping & Packaging

Fully tracked and insured delivery.

Shipping cost includes professional packaging, careful handling, and secure postage.

Carefully packed using recycled materials where possible.

Please study all photographs as they form part of the description.

Questions are welcome.

Physical Dimensions
Height
40cm (15.75")
Width
20cm (7.87")
Depth
20cm (7.87")
Declaration

Gillers Antiques Ltd has dated this Derby Biscuit Porcelain Group to the Georgian era.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1176972
Dealers Internal Reference
B1484
Description
A large and sculpturally ambitious Derby biscuit (unglazed soft-paste porcelain) figure group after William Wynne Ryland’s 1777 engraving Etiam Amor criminibus plectitur after Angelica Kauffmann: the Three Graces binding Cupid to a tree. Derby’s modellers translated Kauffmann’s Neoclassical design into three dimensions with remarkable elegance — a tall bocage tree, seated and standing Graces with bow and quiver at the base, and Cupid bound to the trunk.
fig 1. An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk.
fig 1. Early Derby Biscuit Figure Group ‘Three Graces Distressing Cupid’, C.1775–1785 — Rare

The unglazed biscuit surface retains every modelling detail, from tool marks and drapery folds to floral sprays, epitomising the refinement prized by late-18th-century connoisseurs for table and dessert display. Closely related examples reside in the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Fitzwilliam Museum.

fig 2. An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk.
fig 2. Early Derby Biscuit Figure Group ‘Three Graces Distressing Cupid’, C.1775–1785 — Rare

Historical Context

“
Founded in the 1750s by William Duesbury, Derby absorbed Chelsea and Bow and reached its artistic zenith in the 1770s–80s.
Gillers Antiques Ltd

Biscuit figures, marketed as “particularly suited for the Embellishment of Desserts,” represented the highest level of technical and sculptural ambition.

fig 3. An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk.
fig 3. Early Derby Biscuit Figure Group ‘Three Graces Distressing Cupid’, C.1775–1785 — Rare

Rarity

This rare model is more often encountered in museum collections than private hands — a true late-Georgian showpiece.

Condition

One Grace missing from the rear (frontal composition remains visually coherent); partial loss to bow; scattered leaf and flower losses; 18th-century firing stress lines typical of soft-paste porcelain; radial kiln line beneath base. UV inspection confirms no through-cracks or later repairs. Stable and display-ready.

fig 4. An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk.
fig 4. Early Derby Biscuit Figure Group ‘Three Graces Distressing Cupid’, C.1775–1785 — Rare

Measurements

• Height: 40 cm / 15.7?

• Width: 20 cm / 7.9?

• Depth: 20 cm / 7.9?

• Weight: 2.97 kg

Shipping & Packaging

Fully tracked and insured delivery.

Shipping cost includes professional packaging, careful handling, and secure postage.

Carefully packed using recycled materials where possible.

Please study all photographs as they form part of the description.

Questions are welcome.

Height
40cm (15.75")
Width
20cm (7.87")
Depth
20cm (7.87")
Date of Manufacture

Gillers Antiques Ltd has dated this Derby Biscuit Porcelain Group to the Georgian era.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1176972
Dealers Internal Ref
B1484
Gillers Antiques Ltd
Gillers Antiques Ltd
Sellingantiques verified Since Mar 2023
Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Gillers Antiques Ltd Profile Page

Relevant Links
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An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk.
1 / 15
Archive I An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk.

Early Derby Biscuit Figure Group ‘Three Graces Distressing Cupid’, C.1775–1785 — Rare

Archive II An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk. View II
Archive III An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk. View III
Archive IV An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk. View IV
Archive V An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk. View V
Archive VI An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk. View VI
Archive VII An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk. View VII
Archive VIII An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk. View VIII
Archive IX An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk. View IX
Archive X An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk. View X
Archive XI An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk. View XI
Archive XII An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk. View XII
Archive XIII An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk. View XIII
Archive XIV An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk. View XIV
Archive XV An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk. View XV
Enlarged Archival View
Gillers Antiques Ltd

Gillers Antiques Ltd
Telephone 07738 009924
Location
Buckland House
Buntingford
Hertfordshire
SG9 0PY
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/gillersantiques
Verified Since Mar 2023
Items For Sale 401
Items Sold 564
Gillers Antiques Ltd
Gillers Antiques Ltd
Verified Since Mar 2023
View Dealer Info
Location: Buckland House, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, SG9 0PY, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/gillersantiques
Verified
Mar 2023
For Sale
401
Sold
564
An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk.
Early Derby Biscuit Figure Group ‘Three Graces Distressing Cupid’, c.1775–1785 — Rare
Ref: SA1176972
An 18th-century white unglazed biscuit porcelain figure group depicting the Three Graces surrounding Cupid tied to a central tree trunk.
Detail View 1
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FAQs

In the late 18th century, English manufacturers such as Derby produced unglazed biscuit porcelain figures inspired by Neoclassical sculpture. These pieces reflected a taste for classical antiquity, classical mythology, and the matte, white aesthetic of carved marble.

Biscuit porcelain is fired once without an applied glaze, resulting in a porous, matte texture. Sculptors used multi-part piece moulds to cast soft-paste porcelain bodies, manually joining and chasing intricate features like hands, foliage, and classical drapery prior to firing.

Authentic 18th-century pieces typically exhibit incised model or size numbers on the underside, patch marks from kiln supports, and soft-paste translucency. The fine details on unglazed surfaces display crisp modelling rather than smoothed-over, mass-produced features.

A crisp white figural group provides strong visual contrast when placed on a dark wooden mantlepiece or styled inside an illuminated glass cabinet. It functions as a sculptural focal point alongside modern art or clean-lined interior furnishings.

Dust biscuit porcelain regularly using a clean, soft-bristled brush to prevent particulate accumulation in small crevices. Avoid liquid cleaners or solvents, as porous unglazed ceramic easily absorbs moisture and staining agents.
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